More Research Implies Learning Barefoot Running on Asphalt Better than Grass

16/03/2015 Bretta Riches Why You Should Run Barefoot 964

Runners have been fooled into believing that running on grass is safer for obvious reasons: its softer and natural compared to asphalt. But recent research suggests that running on grass, especially learning barefoot running on grass, causes inappropriate plantar pressure distribution and impact forces and that the body undergoes a shift in better foot strike mechanics when running on asphalt.

A study by Quinn, 2006 reported that natural surfaces such as grass and beaches are very uneven and can cause more injuries because plantar pressures and forces vary with each step during running which also cause the ankles, knees, and hips to constantly adjust to the surface irregularities.

  • Additionally, the accompanying slope changes at foot strike when running on grass or a beach creates a dangerous off-center force on the ankles and feet, Quinn reported.

In support of this, a more recent study by Janakiraman et al. found that runners who ran on grass had increased intravenous hemolysis –rupturing of red blood cells and their contents– of the foot compared to runners who ran on asphalt.

  • Other work presents evidence that injuries occur more on grass than on unnatural surfaces simply because the unevenness of grass amplifies the ground reaction force.
Barefoot running on beach dangerous?
Barefoot running on soft, natural surfaces like the beach, are harmless if you are an experienced barefoot or pure minimalist shod runner and has the forefoot strike technique down pat!

Although the unevenness of grass is great for ankle strength and our ancestors ran barefoot on rugged, uneven terrain, when it comes to learning a new running style such as barefoot running or forefoot running in minimalist shoes, stick to smooth surfaces, for now.

Likewise, the modern running shoe has long separated us from how our ancestors ran –our ankles and feet are very weak, making it challenging to maintain stability when learning barefoot running on uneven terrain.

More From Run Forefoot:

References:

Fuller, C. W., Dick, R. W., Corlette, J., & Schmaltz, R. (2007). Comparison of the incidence, nature and cause of injuries sustained on grass and new generation artificial turf by male and female football players. Part 1: match injuries British Journal of Sports Medicine, 41(Suppl. 1), i20–i26.

Janakiraman et al. Intravascular haemolysis during prolonged running on asphalt and natural grass in long and middle distance runners. J Sports Med, 2011; 29(12): 1287-1292.

Quinn, E. (2006). Running on sand or grass may increase risk of injury. Retrieved from http://sportsmedicine.about.com/od/injuryprevention /a/runnersand.htm

P.S. Don't forget to check out the Run Forefoot Facebook Page, it's a terrific place to ask questions about forefoot running, barefoot running and injury. I'm always happy to help!

963 Comments

  1. How much experience do you recommend before running barefoot on in fields or on trails? Thanks! 🙂

  20. hello!,I like your writing very much! share we communicate more about your article on AOL? I require a specialist on this area to solve my problem. May be that’s you! Looking forward to see you.

  33. I am extremely impressed with your writing skills as well as with the layout on your blog. Is this a paid theme or did you customize it yourself? Either way keep up the nice quality writing, it is rare to see a great blog like this one today..

  41. The subsequent time I read a weblog, I hope that it doesnt disappoint me as much as this one. I imply, I do know it was my option to read, however I truly thought youd have something interesting to say. All I hear is a bunch of whining about one thing that you might fix if you happen to werent too busy looking for attention.

  315. I have not checked in here for a while because I thought it was getting boring, but the last few posts are great quality so I guess I?¦ll add you back to my daily bloglist. You deserve it my friend 🙂

  358. I’m really enjoying the design and layout of your blog. It’s a very easy on the eyes which makes it much more enjoyable for me to come here and visit more often. Did you hire out a developer to create your theme? Fantastic work!

  422. I wish to voice my love for your generosity for all those that actually need guidance on this particular situation. Your personal commitment to getting the message all over became astonishingly productive and has continually enabled associates much like me to attain their endeavors. Your new useful guideline denotes a lot a person like me and somewhat more to my colleagues. Best wishes; from each one of us.

  522. Thank you for every other informative website. The place else may I get that kind of info written in such a perfect method? I have a venture that I’m simply now operating on, and I have been at the look out for such information.

  620. Its like you read my mind! You seem to know a lot about this, like you wrote the book in it or something. I think that you could do with a few pics to drive the message home a bit, but other than that, this is fantastic blog. A great read. I’ll certainly be back.

  640. When I originally commented I clicked the “Notify me when new comments are added” checkbox and now each time a
    comment is added I get several emails with the same comment.
    Is there any way you can remove me from that service?
    Thanks a lot!

    my blog :: nordvpn coupons inspiresensation (t.co)

  651. 350fairfax nordvpn
    I have been exploring for a bit for any high-quality articles or blog posts on this kind of area .
    Exploring in Yahoo I ultimately stumbled upon this site.
    Studying this information So i’m happy to express that I have an incredibly excellent uncanny feeling I discovered just what I needed.
    I so much without a doubt will make certain to
    don?t omit this site and give it a look regularly.

    My site :: nord vpn coupon codes

  681. I do love the way you have presented this specific difficulty plus it does indeed give me a lot of fodder for thought. Nevertheless, through just what I have personally seen, I only wish as other commentary pack on that individuals keep on point and don’t start on a tirade of some other news du jour. Anyway, thank you for this exceptional piece and while I do not concur with it in totality, I regard your standpoint.

  696. Hello my family member! I want to say that this article is amazing, nice written and come with approximately all significant infos. I would like to see extra posts like this.

  699. Vive la dulzura de Sweet Bonanza con nosotros en YoCasino y consigue premios a todo color. Conoce también nuestra amplia oferta de slots y disfruta de las más populares. ¡No te las pierdas! Seleccioná dónde apostar El Maestro de los Deseos, sweet bonanza compatibilidad con dispositivos móviles y tabletas por lo que no podemos verificar si se enumeran las mismas ofertas. Amazon Slots Casino también ofrece máquinas de jackpot progresivo que ofrecen pagos que cambian la vida, pero descubrimos que hay algunas en Bonus Accumulator que no figuran en Oddsmonkey. Respecto a la simbología de Sweet Bonanza, primero destacaremos aquellos símbolos que te otorgarán un mayor importe en tus líneas premiadas. Estos serán; El corazón rojo, la bomba caramelo y los caramelos violeta, verde y azul.
    https://addofitness.co.in/plataforma-digital-mxballoonapp-lo-que-ofrece/
    Balloon Boom es un juego emocionante y adictivo que combina la emoción del azar con una mecánica sencilla y fácil de usar. Algunas estrategias como observar el patrón, ajustar las apuestas y gestionar el riesgo pueden ayudarte a maximizar tus ganancias. La demoversión es una herramienta valiosa para practicar sin arriesgar dinero real y conocer el juego antes de invertir. Recuerda disfrutar del juego y no jugar con emociones para evitar pérdidas significativas. Balloon Boom es un juego innovador que ofrece una experiencia emocionante y la posibilidad de ganar dinero real. Su mecánica simple y su interfaz atractiva lo hacen ideal tanto para principiantes como para jugadores experimentados. Si estás buscando un nuevo desafío en los casinos en línea en Colombia, Balloon casino es una excelente opción.

  703. Hey just wanted to give you a quick heads up. The words in your
    post seem to be running off the screen in Firefox.
    I’m not sure if this is a format issue or something to do with internet
    browser compatibility but I figured I’d post to
    let you know. The design look great though! Hope you get the problem solved soon. Kudos gamefly 3 month free
    trial https://tinyurl.com/27xe7che

  706. Aw, this was an exceptionally nice post. Taking a few
    minutes and actual effort to make a superb article… but what can I say… I hesitate a
    whole lot and never manage to get anything done.

  749. Great – I should definitely pronounce, impressed with your site. I had no trouble navigating through all tabs as well as related info ended up being truly simple to do to access. I recently found what I hoped for before you know it in the least. Quite unusual. Is likely to appreciate it for those who add forums or anything, website theme . a tones way for your client to communicate. Nice task.

  756. Официальный Telegram канал 1win Casinо. Казинo и ставки от 1вин. Фриспины, актуальное зеркало официального сайта 1 win. Регистрируйся в ван вин, соверши вход в один вин, получай бонус используя промокод и начните играть на реальные деньги.
    https://t.me/s/Official_1win_kanal/2141

  779. What i don’t realize is if truth be told how you’re not really a lot more smartly-favored than you may be right now. You’re so intelligent. You understand thus considerably when it comes to this subject, made me in my opinion consider it from so many varied angles. Its like women and men don’t seem to be interested unless it?¦s something to accomplish with Girl gaga! Your individual stuffs nice. At all times deal with it up!

  955. Hiya, I’m really glad I’ve found this info. Nowadays bloggers publish just about gossips and internet and this is actually frustrating. A good site with exciting content, that is what I need. Thanks for keeping this site, I’ll be visiting it. Do you do newsletters? Can’t find it.

1 Trackback / Pingback

  1. Easy Guide to Barefoot Running on Pavement – RUN FOREFOOT

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.